Howard Epstein is a science professor at the University of Virginia and co-instructs Science and Policy of Biodiversity Conservation, a seminar jointly offered by the Department of Environmental Sciences and the Law School. He joined his department's faculty in 1998.

He specializes in the ecology of arctic tundra and dry grasslands and shrublands. His research focus is on vegetation dynamics, nutrient cycling and plant-soil-atmosphere interactions.

Epstein has published more than 90 peer-reviewed journal articles and book articles.